


Wicked Fight

by fangirl_250_501



Series: Wicked Love Series [2]
Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Badass Original Character, Badass female character, Book/Movie 2: The Scorch Trials, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Cranks (Maze Runner), F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Maze Runner OC, Maze Runner Original Character, Newt (Maze Runner) in Love, POV Original Character, POV Original Female Character, Sassy Minho (Maze Runner), The Maze Runner Spoilers, The Scorch, The Scorch Trials Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:41:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 18,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25720753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirl_250_501/pseuds/fangirl_250_501
Summary: Haylee, Newt, and the other Gladers have escaped the Maze. They thought they escaped WICKED. But WICKED is as strong as ever, and the Gladers find themselves in a destroyed world, struggling for their lives. Haylee is determined to protect the people she loves, but things don't always go as planned.
Relationships: Brenda & Thomas (Maze Runner), Minho & Newt & Thomas (Maze Runner), Minho & Newt (Maze Runner), Newt & Thomas (Maze Runner), Newt (Maze Runner)/Original Character(s), Newt (Maze Runner)/Original Female Character(s), Newt/OC, Newt/Original Character, Newt/Original Female Character, Teresa Agnes & Thomas (Maze Runner)
Series: Wicked Love Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1865662
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	1. A So-Called Safe Place

_A young girl was sitting in a dark room, holding a lantern, clearly waiting for someone. She was only a young teenager, and yet she carried a weight that no one her age should have._

_A noise startled the girl, and she stood up abruptly, peering into the darkness. A boy stepped into the light, who seemed to be about her age._

_"For a second I thought you weren't coming." She said, placing her lantern on the floor. "Or that you forgot."_

_"How could I forget this?" He replied with his soft British accent._

_The two of them hugged each other tightly as if they would never see each other again. Then again, it was possible that they wouldn't._

_"I'm going to miss you so much." She whispered, still holding onto him._

_"We'll see each other again." The boy replied. "We just... won't remember." A few tears escaped from his eyes, but he quickly wiped him away. He wanted this last night to be special._

_"It'll only be a few months." She added. "Then I'll be in the Maze, too. Just stay alive until then." The boy laughed a little at that last sentence._

_"Don't worry about me." He said as they finally broke their embrace. "We're going to escape that place together, I promise." He leaned down and kissed her softly, the most passionate kiss the pair of them had ever shared._

_"I love you, Newt." She said. "I always will."_

_"I love you too, Haylee." He replied. "Forever."_

"WAKE UP!"

I gasped, jolting awake. The dream- no, the memory- was still fresh in my mind. It took me a moment to collect my bearings and evaluate the situation.

We were still in the helicopter that had taken us away from the Maze, but we were no longer in the air. Shouts penetrated the quiet night around me, as well as gunfire.

"Haylee, come on, we have to go!" It was Newt, trying to pull me up. Snapping to my senses, I sprang to my feet. Newt sighed in relief, and we both sprinted out of the helicopter and towards the large building that loomed in front of us.

"Go, go, go!" Someone was shouting. "Keep moving." We ran for our lives to the building, trying to avoid the fight raging around us.

The soldiers that had saved us ushered us inside the building. Once we were all in, the large, thick doors closed, sealing themselves multiple times. I didn't want to think about the people that had been left out there.

The soldiers pushed us all into a room and then moved to close the door.

"Wait, what's going on out there?" Minho asked.

"Nothing we can't handle." The soldier replied, and he slammed the door shut.

"Hey, let us out!" Thomas shouted, slamming his hands against the door, but it wouldn't budge. The lights turned on, and the sight that awaited us was a good one.

Food.

"Dibs on the rice!" Frypan shouted, and we all ran towards the table. It had been so long since we had good, quality food.

We all dug in, not really caring about the mess we were making. I grabbed a bread roll, some rice, and some kind of chicken. Real food. Oh, it was amazing.

Minho handed me a big jug of water, and I drained the entire thing. I didn't realize how thirsty I was until that moment.

"This is way better than Frypan's slop." Minho quipped, and we all laughed, although Fry looked a little offended.

Teresa threw a handful of rice at Minho, and a whole food fight began.

"Haylee..." Newt said in a singsongy voice before throwing a glob of mashed potatoes at me.

"Oh, it's on!" I exclaimed, throwing a slice of bread right in his face. He just laughed and ate it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Minho sneakily walk up behind Newt with one of the water jugs. I grabbed a water jug that was in front of me, and, at the same time, we poured the water all over Newt.

"Hey!" He shouted, and we burst out laughing. This was more fun that I'd had in a long time.

...

We sat on the ground, so full from the food. We had eaten every bit possible, completely stuffing ourselves. It was worth it.

"I don't know who these people are, but they can cook." I said, rubbing my stomach.

"Who are they, really?" Teresa asked. "I mean, we don't know anything about them."

"Well, they're not friends of WICKED." Newt commented.

"That's good enough for me." Minho added. "You guys think too much. We're free. Might as well enjoy it."

Minho was right. We could deal with whoever these people were later. We were finally out of the Maze, free and safe.

Suddenly, a door opened, and we all stood up. In the doorway was a man who, in my opinion, looked like a rat. He had a long nose and gray hair, with beady little eyes.

"What's with the Ratman?" Minho murmured, and I had to stifle a laugh.

"Are you kids doing alright?" Ratman asked. We all stared at him as if to say 'What do you think?' "Sorry about all the fuss, we had ourselves a bit of a swarm."

"Who are you?" I asked. There was something about this man that I didn't trust.

"I'm the reason you're still alive." Ratman responded. "And it is my intention to keep you that way. Now, follow me." Ratman led us through the compound, talking as he went. "You can call me Mr. Janson. I run this place. It's a sanctuary, safe from the horrors of the outside world. You all should think of it as a wait station, a home between homes."

"And then you're taking us home?" Newt asked hopefully. Did we even have homes? Did we have families?

"A home of sorts." Janson explained. "Unfortunately, there isn't much left of where you came from. But we have a place for you, outside the Scorch, where WICKED will never find you again. How does that sound?"

"Why are you helping us?" I asked. This all seemed too good to be true. And, again, something seemed off about the whole thing, I just couldn't place it.

"Let's just way the world is in a rather precarious situation." Janson said. "We are hanging on by a very thin thread. The fact that you all can survive the Flare makes you the best chance for humanity's survival. However, it also makes you a target, as you've most likely noticed. Soon, your new lives will begin. But first, let's do something about the smell."

Janson stopped walking when we reached two doors.

"Boys on the left, girls on the right." Janson said. The boys all went through the left door, while Teresa and I went through the right one. Inside was a row of showers. We kind of had showers in the Glade, but nothing like this.

"This is..." I trailed off, not sure what to say. Teresa and I each chose a shower, and I basked under the hot wash. It felt so relaxing, and so warm too.

After our showers, we were given clothes to change into, and then we were lead to a sort of lab room where the boys already were. They also looked cleaner, and it was odd to see everyone in different clothes.

The doctors rushed around, running tests and asking us questions.

"You two ran in the Maze, correct?" One of the scientists said to Minho and me. I briefly wondered how they knew that, but I just figured that someone else told them.

"We were Runners, yeah." Minho replied.

"Wonderful." The scientist said. "Please step on the treadmill for me. We just need to record some data." I glanced at Minho warily, but he just shrugged. I supposed that it seemed harmless, and I stepped on the treadmill and began to run. The speed they had it going at was extremely slow, but I didn't complain. I had done enough running for a lifetime.

I noticed one of the scientists leading Thomas and Teresa out of the room, but I didn't think much of it.

...

After the tests, we were taken to a cafeteria room which, to my surprise, was filled girls that seemed to be around our age.

"They were from the other Maze." A scientist explained. "Except theirs was all girls." My eyes widened. Another Maze, and there were only girls instead of boys?

We got our food and sat down at one of the long tables. Neither Thomas nor Teresa had come back from their testing yet, but I didn't really worry about it.

"Hi!" Said a voice. I turned around to see a rather short redhead girl with shining blue eyes. She slid onto the bench next to me and smiled brightly. "I'm Emily."

"I'm Haylee." I said. "Were you in a Maze too?"

"Yeah." She said. "We escaped a few days ago, and these people saved us. Not everyone made it though." She looked down sadly, probably remembering some of her friends.

"Do you know what happened to the people who were left in the Maze?" Newt asked from across the table. Emily shook her heard.

"I don't know. I guess WICKED still has them." She said. At that moment, Minho walked over with Thomas, who had finally returned. I slid over to make room for them as the others kept talking.

"How long have you guys been here?" Frypan asked.

"Not that long, just a few days." She said. "But they brought us here at different times. That guy over there got here first, about a week ago. He was the only boy in my Maze." I looked over at the boy in question. He was sitting alone, though I had a feeling that he was separating himself by choice.

"Some guys have all the luck." Frypan said, and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." Janson said, striding into the room. "If you hear your name called, please rise and join my colleagues here, where they will escort you to the east wing. Your new lives are about to start." Janson read out a few names off of his list, and everyone who remained groaned.

"Don't get discouraged." Janson said. "I would take more if I could. Your time will come, all of you. Now, eat up." Janson walked out of the room along with the kids who were called up.

"Where are they going?" Thomas asked.

"Far from here." Emily replied. I had almost forgotten that she was there. "Some kind of safe haven, according to Janson. But they can only take a few people at a time." Thomas stopped listening and stared at the window. I followed his gaze to see Teresa being escorted by two guards.

"Teresa!" Thomas shouted, standing up. "Hey, Teresa!" He went towards the door, but one of the guards stopped him, and Teresa continued down the hallway.

"Where are they taking her?" Thomas demanded.

"They just have to run a few more tests." The guard explained calmly. "Don't worry, they'll be done soon. Your friend is perfectly fine."

...

Once the day was done, they took us back to where we would sleep.

"Boys, you will be in here, and Haylee, you'll stay elsewhere-" Janson began, but I stopped him.

"Wait, can't I stay with them?" I said. "I don't care about the whole boy-girl thing, really. I've lived with these shanks for two years, they're kind of my family."

"Alright, you can stay." Janson said, and I sighed with relief. "But first, I believe we need to have a conversation."

"Is everything okay?" Newt asked from the doorway.

"It's all fine." Janson said. "She'll come back in a few minutes, don't worry." Newt glanced at me for confirmation, and I nodded. Nothing bad could happen, right?


	2. Alterations

Janson and his guards led me to a small room with a table and two chairs. Janson himself sat down in one, and gestured for me to sit across from him. I did so warily, not taking my gaze off of the Ratman.

"We found some very... interesting things in your test results, Haylee." Janson began. He pulled out a file, glanced at it, and then kept talking. "It seems that before you were placed into the Maze, WICKED ran several experiments on you."

 _No shit, Sherlock_ , I thought. What did he think WICKED was doing that entire time?

"I already knew that." I said.

"Trust me, you do not know the whole truth." Janson said. "You and all of your friends were tested and experimented on, yes, but you were a special case. We uncovered stolen WICKED files once we saw your test results, and we found out what really happened. It appears that you were chosen for a special experiment called the Alterations. WICKED somehow managed to alter you genetically. These Alterations made you stronger, faster... and extremely lethal."

"What?" I whispered. "That... it can't be true!" Altered?

"I'm terribly sorry, but it is." Janson said, although he didn't seem remotely sorry at all. "Come on, Haylee, haven't you ever felt sudden bursts of strength, or have had odd urges to do something extremely violent?"

I thought back to my time in the Glade, and I realized that he was right. There were so many times when I managed to outrun the entire Glade, even Minho. Or when I beat Gally in one of the circle fights. On one of those last nights, I severed a Griever's arm to save Newt, and my aim was perfect.

And I killed Gally.

"So I'm... programmed?" I asked. "Is there any way to fix this?"

"I'm afraid the Alterations are permanent." Janson replied. "Even attempting to reverse it would kill you."

"We understand that this is a lot to process." Janson said. "We will allow you to go back to your friends now." He nodded to the guard behind him, and the guard escorted me back to the room where all of my friends where.

They all stood up as soon as I entered. I'm sure they said a few things, but I didn't register any of them. This was all happening too fast. I clutched my head, trying to make it all go away.

The last thing I saw before I passed out was Newt's eyes, filled with worry.

...

_The girl with the long brown hair was trapped in some sort of water tank. In front of her, a dark-haired boy watched, taking notes, his hand shaking slightly._

_Water started to fill the tank rapidly, and the girl began to panic._

"Thomas, please!" She screamed at the boy. "HELP ME!" The water was up to her knees now, and she banged her fists against the glass. Her efforts were futile, and the water level continued to rise.

_"WICKED is good." Said a cold female voice. "WICKED is good." The girl in the tank pounded on the glass even harder, as the water was now just above her waist._

_"THOMAS I KNOW YOU CAN STOP THIS!" She shouted. The dark haired boy looked into her eyes apologetically and practically ran from the room. The water was rising even faster, nearly at the girl's neck._

_"Please!" She cried. "Help-" Her pleas were cut off as the water rose above her head. She tried swimming to the top of the tank, but the current pulled her down. She tried punching the glass again, but there was nothing she could do. The girl struggled for breath, drowning._

I gasped awake, sitting up and bumping my head on something. I winced, rubbing the sore spot, trying to contemplate everything that had happened.

WICKED had Altered me to make me the person I was today. How much of me was actually me, and how much of it was them?

And then the dream... another memory, just like the one that had come to me on the helicopter. But this one was worse, so much worse.I knew Thomas used to work for WICKED but... did he really do that? Did he just stand there while I drowned?

"Hey, you're awake!" A voice said. I turned to see Newt, Minho, and Thomas standing in front of me, all looking extremely concerned.

"Wh-what happened?" I asked.

"You came back from your little meeting with Janson, and then you passed out." Minho explained. "What happened to you? What did the Ratman say?"

"Hey, she doesn't have to tell us if she doesn't want to." Newt said. I smiled at him.

"It's okay, Newt." I said. "Apparently, before the Maze, WICKED put me though these experiments called the Alterations. They made me stronger, and they made me so... violent. I'm- I-" I breathed heavily and stopped talking. Putting it out there in the open made it feel so much more real.

"Hey, it's okay." Newt said, sitting down next to me. But a million thoughts were racing through my head. How could he love me after this? How can any of them stand to be around me when they know what I am?

"I'm just some kind of experiment." I whispered. "I don't think I'm even fully human."

"Haylee, look at me." Newt said, and I turned to face him. "Whatever WICKED did to you, that doesn't stop you from being any less of a good person. You are one of the bravest, kindest, most caring people in the world. And nothing can take that away from you."

"Thank you." I tried to say, but it came out as some sort of choked sob. Newt put his arm around my shoulders, and I leaned into him, and, at the moment, it just seemed like only the two of us in the world, with nothing around us.

"So, um, while you were gone, we found something." Thomas said, breaking the silence. "We all had these tattoos on the backs of our necks from WICKED, and..."

"You're wondering if I have one." I completed, and he nodded. I turned around so that my back was facing Newt, and I pulled my long braid out of the way.

"Property of WICKED. Group A, Subject A6. The Warrior." Newt read.

"The Warrior?" I echoed. "I kind of like the sound of that."

"It's a whole lot bloody better than mine." Newt grumbled. "I'm The Glue. What does that even mean?"

"Well, you're the one that holds us all together, kind of like glue." I said. "Plus, people get attached to you in, like, one minute." The others laughed at my second explanation, and it was true.

We talked for a little bit more, and then we all went to sleep, as we were pretty exhausted. Newt and I took one of the top bunks, and it almost felt like we were back in the Glade.

It wasn't until I was falling asleep that I realized with sleep, came memories.

...

_A group of kids were eating lunch in a large cafeteria. They talked and laughed, all having fun. Moments like these were rare in the place where they were. Fun itself was rare in their lives._

_The door to the room banged open, and a man who looked like a rat walked in, escorted by two masked guards._

_"I require subjects A5 and A6." The Ratman said. All eyes in the room turned to two kids, a boy with blond hair and a girl with hazel eyes. The two of them glanced at each other and then stood up, walking to the front of the room. "The rest of you may go back to your meal."_

_"Where are you taking them?" Another boy asked, standing up._

_"It is none of your concern, A7." Ratman snapped. He made a gesture to the two guards, and each of them grabbed hold of the girl and the boy, leading them out of the room._

_They walked down a long, brightly lit hallway in silence until they stopped at a door. The Ratman opened it, and the guards shoved the two kids inside._

_"What's going on?" The boy whispered as Ratman closed the door behind him._

_"I don't know." She replied. "Just stay close to me."_

_"Subjects A5 and A6-" Ratman started to say._

_"We have names." The girl snapped. "And don't call us subjects. We're people too."_

_"Control your temper, A6." Ratman said, emphasizing the number. "As I was saying, today we will be running a special kind of test. We will be studying your reactions to... specific tests. Just remember, you are doing the world a great service." Ratman signaled to one of the scientists in the room, and she pulled the girl towards one of the chairs._

_"Hey!" She said. The boy lunged after her, but a guard held him in place. Meanwhile, two scientists strapped the girl to the chair. She squirmed, but it was impossible to get out._

_"Remember." Ratman said. "WICKED is good." He flicked a switch on a control panel, and the girl started screaming in pain._

_"NO!" The boy shouted, struggling against his guards. "Let her go, you monsters!" Desperate to reach her, he kicked one of the guards in his privates and wrenched himself free. He ran across the room, and as soon as he reached the girl, her pain stopped._

_"Interesting." Ratman said. "Switch them." The scientists untied the girl and roughly shoved the boy in her place, despite their attempts to break free._

_"No, don't hurt him!" She exclaimed. "Leave him alone!"_

_"I'm afraid we cannot do that." Ratman said, grinning wickedly. Moving at a tantalizingly slow speed, he flicked the switch once again._

_This time, it was the boy's screams that filled the air, as the girl attempted to save him. But the guards overpowered her, and she was forced to watch._

_After observing her behavior, Ratman flicked the switch again, and the boy sighed in relief as the pain stopped. As soon as he was untied, the guards released the girl, and she sprinted over to him._

_"Are you okay?" She asked._

_"I'm fine." He said weakly. "What about you?"_

_"I'm okay." She said. "Really."_

_"Very interesting." Ratman mused. The boy and the girl glared at him. "This is a new development. Guards, take them to Lab 5. I have a feeling these two will be of extreme use to us."_

My eyes fluttered open, staring into the darkness of the bunk room. Everyone else was asleep, and I lied awake, thinking about my memory dreams.

Since escaping the Glade, I had been given three memories of my past, and I had watched myself be tortured in front of Newt and vice versa, drown while Thomas watched, and then say goodbye to Newt for what we thought was the last time. And that was just three memories! How could anyone think WICKED was good?

What had the world become?


	3. The Escape

"I'm telling you, I know what I saw!" Thomas insisted as Janson was calling out the list for the day. Apparently, Thomas had snuck out last night and seen something that looked like a covered body. "I want to know what's behind that door."

"No, we've been over this." Newt said. "You said they were covered up, so you don't know what you saw. It could be anything under there."

"They were bodies." Thomas insisted. "Aris said they bring in a new batch every night."

"Who the hell is Aris?" Frypan asked. Thomas gestured to the boy who had been in the other Maze. He was currently studying his cornbread very intently.

"Thank you for your attention, ladies and gentlemen. Enjoy the rest of your evening." Janson concluded reading the list, and he led the chosen kids out of the door.

"Until we know what's going on, we should just keep our heads down and try not to draw attention to ourselves, alright?" Newt said. Thomas ignored him, stood up, and started fast-walking towards the door.

"What is he doing?" Newt asked.

"Drawing attention to himself." I sighed.

"Hang on, kid, you weren't called." The guard said as Thomas reached the door.

"I'm just going to be one second." Thomas said. "I just want to see my friend, can you let me through?"

"This is a restricted area." The guard said. "Get your ass back in that chair." Thomas tried to shove the guard our of the way, but the guard was stronger, and soon, a fight broke out. Everyone ran towards the door, trying to pull Thomas away and break up the fight.

"Hey, back off!" Minho shouted at the guard.

"Why won't you let me see her?" Thomas demanded. At that moment, Janson walked through the door, looking utterly perplexed at the scene before him.

"What's happening here?" He asked smoothly. "Thomas, I thought we could trust each other. You know we're on the same team here."

"Are we?"

"Get them back to their bunks." Janson said coldly. "Now!" The guards came in, escorting groups of kids back to their rooms. And, because of Thomas, we got a whole lot of extra security.

"Get in! All of you!" The guard shouted, shoving us inside the bunk room and then slamming the door behind them.

"What the bloody hell was that all about?" Newt said. "You didn't really think they were just going to let you in, did you?"

"Of course not." Thomas said. He held up a key card, the kind that all of the guards and scientists had. He was really desperate to get into that room.

"No." Newt said immediately.

"Newt, they're hiding something." Thomas reasoned. "These people are not who they say they are."

"You don't know that, Thomas!" Newt countered. "We do know that they helped save us from WICKED. They gave us clothes, food, a proper bed. Some of us haven't had that in a long time."

"But Newt-"

"Some of us a lot longer than others." Newt glared at Thomas, his words a fresh reminder that, until about a month ago, Thomas had been on WICKED's side.

Suddenly, Aris the new guy popped out of the vent. Frypan, who had been standing right next to it, jumped back in fear.

"Hey Thomas." Aris said. "You got it, right?" Thomas showed him the key card in response.

"Yeah, let's go." Thomas said. Aris crawled back into the vent, and Thomas turned to the rest of us. "Look, maybe you guys are right, maybe I'm just being paranoid. But I need to find out the truth. Just cover for me, I'll get back when I can." With that, he went after Aris.

"What now?" Fry asked.

"We wait." I replied. I really hoped that Thomas was wrong about this, but I had a sinking feeling that he was right.

...

"We got to go!" Thomas shouted, scrambling out of the vent. "Right now, we have to go!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Minho asked. "What do you mean we have to go, what happened?"

"Come on, come on!" Thomas shouted. He shoved a heavy mattress in front of the door, and I wondered how that would be effective against anything. "They're coming for us."

"What happened in there?" Winston asked, but Thomas ignored everyone, trying to gather some supplies.

"Aris, what happened?" I asked the other boy. He said something, but I couldn't hear him over Thomas's frantic shouts.

"Thomas, calm down and talk to us." Newt said.

"She's still alive." Thomas said. "Ava."

"Ava?" Newt asked. "Would you just turn around and talk to us?"

"It's WICKED!" Thomas shouted, silencing all the questions. "It's always been WICKED."

"Thomas, what did you see." Newt asked. At that moment, there was a pounding at the door. I turned to see Janson and his guards, looking furious.

"We need to go." Thomas said again. "Through the vent, come on!" We followed Aris through the vent, exiting it at a long hallway.

"You guys go ahead, there's something I have to do." Aris said. We started to protest that. "Trust me it's important. You guys want to get out of here, right?"

"Just go." Newt said.

"I'll go with him." Winston offered. Aris nodded, and the two of them ran in the other direction.

"You sure we can trust him?" Frypan asked.

"You don't want to know where you'd be without him." Thomas replied. We continued down the hallway, but we then ran into Dr. Crawford.

"What are you kids doing out?" She asked. As soon as she said that, alarms started blaring. Her eyes widened, but, before she could do anything, Thomas grabbed her.

"Keep going!" He shouted, but we ran right into a guard.

"Go back!" Minho yelled. All of a sudden, I had a strange instinct to not run, to turn around and fight that guard. The Alterations. Of course.

I stopped and sprinted towards the guard, my friends all shouting at me to come back. I kneed him in the chest, causing him to slam into the wall and go unconscious.

The boys all ran up to me and saw the unconscious guard.

"Shit, Haylee." Newt muttered. I smirked and picked up the guard's gun. We kept going towards one of the lab rooms, where Dr. Crawford said Teresa would be.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" The scientists said as we entered the room. There were about ten of them, all looking confused and scared.

"Where is she?" Thomas asked. "Where is she?!" One of the scientists pointed to the next room, and Thomas ran inside.

"Get back." I said to the scientists, pointing the gun at them. Minho and Newt proceeded to tie them up, making sure that they couldn't get free.

"You're never going to get away with this." One of the scientists hissed.

"You know what? I don't care." I retorted. Thomas exited the other room along with Teresa, who seemed to be mostly unharmed.

"Guys, they're coming!" Minho exclaimed, peering through the small window.

"Where do we go?" I asked. We were trapped in the room.

"Frypan, move." Newt said, and he started to shove a large cabinet towards the door. I handed the gun to Thomas and rushed over to help him, and we created a sort of barricade.

"Where do we go?" Teresa asked. "We're sealed in." Thomas looked around the room, and his eyes settled on some stools. He picked one up and started banging it at the window, completely shattering it.

"Go, go, go!" Thomas shouted. "This way." We crawled through the hole where the window was and continued down the hallway until we reached a large, extra-strength door.

Thomas slid the key card through the slot, and we all expected the door to open.

Instead, it read: Access Denied.

"Shit!" Thomas exclaimed as he continued to swipe it. The card reader flashed red, indicating that it was not going to open.

"Thomas!" Said a voice from behind us. We turned around to see Janson, with a smug expression on his face, being escorted by guards.

"Open the door, Janson!" Thomas shouted, pointing the gun at him. Minho and I continued trying to open the door, but our efforts failed miserably.

"You really don't want me to-"

"Open the damn door!"

"I'm trying to save your life." Janson reasoned. Yeah, sure. "The Maze is one thing, but you wouldn't last one day out in the Scorch. If the elements don't kill you, the Cranks will. I only want what's best for you."

"Yeah, let me guess." Thomas said. "'WICKED is good?'"

"You're not getting through that door." Janson said. Ironically, right after he said that, the door opened, revealing Aris and Winston.

"Hey guys." Aris said, out of breath. We all ran through the door, but Thomas was still in the hallway.

"Thomas, come on!" Teresa yelled. Janson shouted and order, and the door started to close. Thomas sprinted towards it, and, for a horrible moment, it looked like he wasn't going to make it.

Then, at the last moment, he slid under it. Aris immediately destroyed the control panel just as Janson got there. We had trapped them behind their own door.

"Come on, let's go." Thomas said. We followed him outside, but I briefly turned around to give Janson the finger.

We ran out into the dark, barren Scorch, stumbling through the darkness. We had escaped, but now, we had to survive.


	4. Crank Attack

We ended up inside an old, abandoned building, hiding from both WICKED and the storm.

"We got to go." Thomas muttered, looking around. "We-"

"Thomas, stop!" Teresa shouted. "Tell me what's going on." I realized that Teresa still didn't know what was happening. She didn't know that we were never saved from WICKED.

"It's WICKED." Thomas explained. "They lied to us, we never escaped. There were bodies, strung in midair, too many to count."

"Dead bodies?" Minho asked. No, alive ones, I thought sarcastically.

"Not quite dead, but not really alive either." Thomas said. "They were strung up, with tubes coming out of them. They're being drained. They're something in our blood that WICKED wants, and we need to get as far away from them as possible."

"So what's the plan?" Newt asked. Thomas stared at the floor.

"You do have a plan right?" I asked. Thomas didn't say anything. You have got to be kidding me.

"Well we followed you out here, Thomas, and now you're saying we have no idea where we're going or what we're doing?" Newt said, getting angrier with every word.

"Wait, Janson said something." Aris said. "About people hiding in the mountains. Some kind of army."

"The Right Arm." Thomas added. "If they're against WICKED, maybe they can help us."

"People. In the mountains. Mountain people. That's your plan?" Newt said incredulously.

"It's the only chance we have-"

"Hey guys." Winston said. "Check this out." We walked over to where he was standing to see multiple footprints in the sand.

"Someone's been down here." Thomas said. We kept going, and we could see various supplies scattered throughout the building. People had definitely been here.

"Looks like people lived here." Minho said.

"And where are they now?" I wondered.

"Let's pack some of this stuff up." Thomas said, picking up an old jacket. "Anything you think you'll need. We'll split up, see what else you can find. Meet back here."

We all nodded and went in different directions. The section I went to was full of clothes. I picked some of it up and stuffed it in a backpack, figuring that we could get some use out of it.

Suddenly, I heard a loud gasp. I turned to see Teresa, staring at a demolished mannequin.

"You okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine." She replied.

"Here." I said, tossing a bundle of clothing at her. "You might want to change." She was currently wearing gray sweatpants and a thin tank top. She smiled gratefully and moved away to change her clothes.

There was a bright flash as a whole lot of lights suddenly turned on.

"What's going on?" Frypan asked from a few feet away. I just shrugged as the others walked over, all of us confused.

"HEY!" Came a shout. Thomas and Minho.

_What did they do this time?_

Thomas and Minho turned the corner, sprinting as fast as they could. Behind them was a hoard of people. At least, I thought they were people. They almost seemed to be like zombies, their veins black and an odd fluid coming out of them.

This was what the Flare did to people. These were the Cranks.

"RUN!" Minho shouted. We didn't have to be told twice. We sprinted up the stairs, the Cranks slowly gaining on us.

"Thomas, Minho, what the hell are those things?!" Winston shouted.

"I don't know!" Thomas yelled back. "Just keep going!"

"Move, move!" Minho exclaimed as we went up the next flight of stairs, narrowly avoiding stray Cranks. The stairs led up to what I assumed was the roof.

"We gotta get out of here!" Frypan yelled.

Suddenly, a Crank burst through one of the windows and tackled Newt to the ground.

"Newt!" I shouted, sprinting forward as Newt struggled to get the Crank off.

I kicked the Crank in the stomach, sending him flying back through the window. Newt sighed in both relief and exhaustion.

"Thanks, Haylee." He said as I helped him up.

"Newt, you good!" Thomas asked as we continued to run.

"Yeah, Tommy." Newt replied. The screeching of the Cranks reminded us that we were still very much in danger. We ran into a long hallway. There were doors on the sides, and we tried to open them, but they were all locked.

"Keep going!" I shouted as the Cranks spilled into the hallway.

"It's a dead end." Minho said in horror as he pounded on the last door.

"Come on, get it open!" Teresa shouted. We all joined Minho, desperately trying to get the door open. We were making progress, but it still wasn't enough.

"I'll hold them off!" Winston said. He held up his gun and started shooting at the Cranks. "Get that door open!"

With one final kick, the door gave in, and we all burst through it.

Suddenly, I heard a loud scream, and Winston was dragged back by the Cranks.

"Help me!" Winston cried. We grabbed him, trying to pull him away and keep the Cranks out at the same time. Eventually, we pulled him free, but not before the Cranks had badly wounded him.

We kept running, and didn't stop until we had finally evaded the Cranks. We stopped at a spot that seemed to be a good place to rest, and we all fell asleep immediately, completely exhausted.


	5. Sing the Memories Away

_The young girl fidgeted in her cold chair, sitting across the table from a blond woman wearing all white clothing._

_"Thank you for seeing me." The woman said calmly._

_"It's not like I have a choice." The girl retorted, glaring at the woman hatefully._

_"No, you do not." The woman said, which just angered the girl further. "You're here because of your growing relationship with Subject A5-"_

_"His name is Newt." The girl interrupted. "Not Subject A5. Newt. N-E-W-T. It's not that hard to pronounce."_

_"Newt." She corrected herself. "Anyways, your relationship with him has been a very interesting thing to study. It is helping the Trials move along faster as well. The two of you have given us a lot of information to work with."_

_"Oh yeah, because torturing us will help you find the cure." The girl said sarcastically._

_"I'm afraid the pain has only begun." The woman said sorrowfully. "All great things are born from pain, after all. You and Subject A5 will soon be part of an experiment that could help us understand the nature of... certain things. However, it will be difficult, especially for you."_

_"Why are you telling me this?" The girl asked. She knew that WICKED didn't just go around telling their Subjects the plans._

_"Because I want you to know that I am truly sorry."_

_The girl felt something prick her neck, and she whirled around to see a scientist with a needle in his hand. She sprang into action immediately, using the strength of her Alterations to punch the scientist into a wall. She whirled on the woman, but the sedatives were already taking over. The girl collapsed to the ground, and, despite her efforts to stay awake, the world went dark._

_..._

_The girl woke up in a large, dimly lit room. All around her were weapons of every kind, guns and swords and knives, among other things. She stood up, trying to get a sense of her surroundings._

_At the back wall of the room was a large glass tank. But what concerned her was what was inside the tank._

_The boy she loved, trapped behind the glass, his eyes wide with fear._

_"What's going on?" She shouted to no one in particular. "What's happening?"_

_"Subject A6." Came a woman's voice over a loudspeaker. As soon as she started talking, a door opened. In walked two men and one woman, all three of them looking extremely strong._

_"These three soldiers have been ordered to press that red button on Subject A5's tank." The woman continued. "If they do so, the tank will fill with water, and Subject A5 will drown. You must kill all three of them in order to save his life. Once they are dead, the tank's door will open, and A5 will be released. You can use any of the weapons around you, but so can they. And be warned: They will not hesitate to take your life. Good luck, Subject A6."_

_The girl's eyes widened, and she sprinted over to the tank where the boy was trapped._

_"Try to break the glass!" She shouted, and they both pounded against the glass wall desperately, but their efforts failed._

_"It's no use." The boy said sadly. Behind them, the three soldiers were slowly advancing, picking up weapons along the way._

_"I have to kill them." She whispered. "Or they're going to kill us." She put her hand on the glass, terrified of what she was about to do._

_The boy put his hand on the glass as well, right next to hers._

_"I know you can do this." He whispered. "You're strong, fast, and smart. You can win. Don't give up." The girl nodded. She took a deep breath and then turned around. The soldiers were getting closer._

_She leaned down, picking up a sword and a gun. She also strapped a few knives to her belt._

_She looked at the soldiers, sizing up her competition. The first man looked the strongest, with big bulging muscles and holding more weapons than she could count. The woman was as agile as a cat, her eyes gleaming in the darkness. As for the second man, there didn't seem to be anything remarkable out him, but the girl was wary all the same._

_The girl drew one of her knives, wanting to make the first move. Once she was sure of her target, she threw the knife at the first man. He slid to the side, and it whizzed right past him._

_The fight had begun._

_The girl pulled out her gun and started shooting. She heard a few cries of pain, but none of them dropped. The first man reached her first, brandishing a spear._

_She dropped the gun and held out her sword. The man swung his spear, but she dodged the blow. He snarled and whacked her in the stomach with the blunt end. She held down a scream as she sent a knife sailing right into his throat._

_The girl didn't have time to celebrate her victory. The woman crept up behind her and kicked the girl's legs, causing her to go sprawling to the floor. She heard the clicking of a gun, and she swung her sword out wildly, hoping that it would connect with something._

_Sure enough, the woman fell to the ground, the sword sticking out of her chest._

_BANG!_

_The girl cried out in pain, clutching her arm. She had forgotten all about the second man, the one who had just shot her._

_She turned to see him standing right next to the tank. With a wicked grin, he pressed the red button. Water started to pour into the tank quickly, the level up to the boy's waist in a matter of seconds._

_"No!" She screamed, trying to reach the second man. He turned around, pointing his gun directly at her._

_She frantically grabbed the nearest weapon to her, which happened to be another gun. She glanced back at the tank, where the water was almost up to the boy's neck._

_She pointed the gun directly at the second man. And in his eyes, she saw raw fear. Fear of death._

_"I'm sorry." She whispered, and she pulled the trigger. The bullet hit him right as the water rose above the boy's head. The glass door of the tank opened, and he fell out, coughing and gasping for breath._

_"I'm so sorry." The girl said again, fading in and out of consciousness. "I never wanted to hurt anyone. I'm sorry..." And she closed her eyes again, going completely unconscious._

I sighed as I opened my eyes. I was used to this now, but the memories were getting worse. Did that one actually happen?

It was still dark out, and the others were asleep. I looked back towards the building just to make sure that there were no Cranks about to attack us. I relaxed when I saw that we were alone.

I gazed out towards the mountains, our destination. They seemed so far away. The Right Arm seemed like a fantasy, a wild goose chase. I could only hope that it was real.

A quiet yelp jolted me out of my thoughts. I glanced around at my friends to see Newt, thrashing around in his sleep. He must have been having a nightmare.

"Haylee." He whispered. "No!"

"Newt, wake up." I whispered, shaking him gently. "Wake up!"

He gasped, sitting up, completely awake and alert.

"Hey, it's okay, it was just a dream." I soothed as he started to calm down. "It wasn't real."

"I know." He said, trying to breathe evenly. "It just felt so..." He trailed off, visibly holding back tears. I wrapped my arm around him, and he leaned on me, gladly taking the support.

"Have you been getting these dreams?" Newt began. "Do you have dreams that show you memories?"

"Yeah." I replied. "I've had a few since we got out of the Maze. It's kind of like watching a movie, but it's my life. They've all been so awful..." And I spilled it all out. Everything I had seen, all the awful stuff that WICKED had done. I let it all pour out until there was nothing left to say.

"I've had similar ones." Newt commented. "WICKED experimented on you, on us, more than the others. At least, that's what it looks like. I just don't understand how any of that could help them find a cure?"

"The world is so messed up." I sighed, leaning my head on his shoulder. We sat there in silence for a few more minutes, not sure what to say. There wasn't anything that could make this situation better.

"Remember that night in the Glade?" Newt said. "You know, when you sang that song? I can remember one too, so..."

"Go ahead." I said, excited to hear him sing

_Well you done done me and you bet I felt it  
I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted  
I fell right through the cracks  
And now I'm trying to get back  
Before the cool done run out  
I'll be giving it my best-est  
And nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention  
I reckon it's again my turn  
To win some or learn some_

_But I won't hesitate no more, no more  
It cannot wait, I'm yours_

_Well open up your mind and see like me  
Open up your plans and damn you're free  
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love love  
Listen to the music of the moment people dance and sing  
We are just one big family  
And it's our God-forsaken right to be loved loved loved loved loved_

_So I won't hesitate no more, no more  
It cannot wait I'm sure  
There's no need to complicate  
Our time is short  
This is our fate, I'm yours_

_I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror  
And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer  
But my breath fogged up the glass  
And so I drew a new face and I laughed  
I guess what I been saying is there ain't no better reason  
To rid yourself of vanity and just go with the seasons  
It's what we aim to do  
Our name is our virtue_

_But I won't hesitate no more, no more  
It cannot wait I'm yours_

_Well open up your mind and see like me  
Open up your plans and damn you're free  
Look into your heart and you'll find the sky is yours  
So please don't, please don't, please don't  
There's no need to complicate  
'Cause our time is short  
This, oh this, this is our fate, I'm yours_

His voice was like an angel's, sweet and pure. The world fell silent, and there was only his voice, his amazing, beautiful voice. The song gave me hope, it made me believe that we would be alright.

"We're going to get through this." Newt said. "We're going to survive. Together." I stared into his gorgeous eyes, never wanting this moment to end.

"Together."


	6. The Loss of a Friend

We started moving again once the sun rose. We trudged through the Scorch in silence. There was nothing to be said. The hopeful feeling from last night had fizzled out, leaving only the uncertainty of what was ahead of us.

It was unbearably hot outside, a stark comparison to the cold of last night. Ruined buildings were all around us. I think we were in what used to be a city, and a big one at that. Now it was deserted and destroyed.

"Pretty sure we've arrived in bloody hell." Newt commented. "Always thought you'd end up here, Minho, but not me." We all laughed, and I realized that laughter itself was a noise I hadn't heard in a while.

Our little moment of fun was short-lived, however. There wasn't much room for that kind of thing in our lives.

"What the hell happened to this place?" I wondered, staring at the crumbling structures.

"I don't know." Thomas replied. "But it doesn't look like anyone's been here in a long time."

"I hope the whole world isn't like this." Newt muttered. I thought about that. I didn't want the world to be like this, but from what I knew about WICKED and the Flare, I had a sinking feeling that most of the world was lost to the horrors of sun flares and disease.

"Whoa, hang on." Thomas said suddenly. "Stop. Do you hear that?" In the distance, the sound of machines could be heard. WICKED was here.

"Get down!" He shouted. "Everybody hide!" We all scrambled to get under shelter just as WICKED Bergs flew over us, scanning the area.

"They're never going to stop looking for us, are they?" Aris said once the Bergs flew away. None of us answered. I don't think any of us wanted to acknowledge that we would be hunted for our whole lives.

Unless WICKED was defeated.

...

We ran through the sand, up a large hill. Hunger and exhaustion was starting to set it, but I pushed through it. We had to make it to the Right Arm.

"A little further, guys." Thomas called out. "Those mountains, that's got to be it. That's where we're going." I followed his gaze. The mountains were there, yes, but they seemed quite far away.

"It's a long way off." Newt commented.

"Then we better get moving."

But before we could take another step, Winston gasped and collapsed to the ground.

We all rushed over to him as he convulsed on the sand. Whatever the Cranks had done to him must have been worse than we thought.

"Winston, can you hear me?" Thomas asked. Winston grunted in response, clutching his stomach. "Alright, grab his legs. I don't think he can walk."

It took a while, but eventually, we made a sort of contraption that we could put Winston on. We laid him down as gently as we could, and then continued through the blazing hot Scorch, with Minho and Frypan dragging Winston along.

A sandstorm started, and I inwardly groaned. Great, just what we need right now, I thought sarcastically.

"We need to find shelter!" Thomas shouted over the howling wind as sand flew into my face. Still, we trudged on. Hopefully, we weren't headed for nothing.

...

"Looks like they are getting further away." Newt commented, staring out at the mountains. The storm had finally died down, and we had stopped at an abandoned shelter of some sort.

"We just have to keep moving." Thomas sighed. "We can make it." He then stood up and went over to Teresa.

Minho handed me one of the water bottles, and I took a few precious sips before passing it to Newt. That was another problem: We were running out of water, and we had no food.

Suddenly, Winston jerked up and grabbed the gun. He loaded it quickly and then pointed it directly at his head.

"Winston!" I shouted, knocking the gun away. He reached for it, but I snatched it up out of the sand, holding it out of his reach. At this point, Thomas and Teresa had run over, both of them looking very confused.

"What's going on?" Teresa asked. "What happened?"

"I don't know!" I replied. "He just woke up, grabbed the gun, and tried to..." I couldn't bring myself to finish that sentence.

"Winston, are you okay?" Thomas asked, which was a pretty stupid question. Then again, he was Thomas. Stupid questions were kind of his thing.

Winston lifted up his shirt to reveal his wound, which had gotten considerably worse. Black veins had sprouted from it, traveling over Winston's body. There was no denying it: He had the Flare.

"It's growing inside of me." Winston said, his voice shaking a little. "I'm not going to make it. Please, please don't let me turn into one of those... things."

Keeping his eyes on Winston, Newt took the gun from my hand and put it on Winston's chest. He then took Winston's hand and placed it over the gun, only hesitating for a moment.

"Goodbye, Winston." He whispered. The others turned away, starting to pack up all of our stuff.

"Go." Winston said. "It's okay."

"I'm sorry." I wasn't sure what else to say.

"Protect them, okay Haylee?" Winston said. I nodded, and then followed the rest of my friends out into the Scorch.

"I thought we were supposed to be immune." Minho wondered aloud.

"Not all of us, I guess." Thomas answered. "If Winston can get infected, we should assume the rest of us can too."

We walked, single file, no one saying anything else.

A single gunshot rang out, penetrating the silent air. And we all stopped, just for a minute, to mourn, to remember, to grieve. Winston, who had always been so kind, who didn't deserve this. No one deserved this.

But we had to keep going. We always kept going.


	7. The Storm

***Warning: Mentions self-harm***

_The boy knew that something was going on with the girl. The girl that he loved. The girl who had been through so much._

_But he never imagined something like this. He never imagined that she was hurting herself purposefully. The girl, who had always been so strong and brave._

_He was angry at himself for not seeing it sooner._

_"How long have you been doing this?" He asked, staring at the cutting scars on her arm._

_"Ever since the Trial." She replied, her eyes trained on the ground._

_"You should have talked to me." The boy said. "I can help you get through this."_

_"Can you?!" She snapped. "Have you ever killed someone, Newt? Have you ever seen the life leave a person and know that it was because of you? No, you haven't. So don't go saying that 'you understand' because you don't."_

_"You're right." He said. "I don't understand. But I still want to help you. You can't keep doing this to yourself, okay? What WICKED made you do isn't your fault at all."_

_The boy held her close as she sobbed into his chest._

_"It's okay." He whispered, lightly stroking her hair. "I'm here. I'll always be here for you."_

My eyes opened, the day's events rushing back to me. Winston was dead. We had continued walking until we were completely exhausted.

I thought about the memory that I just saw. It was odd to think about, that the broken girl in the dream was me. That I hurt myself out of immense guilt.

I brushed those thoughts away. I didn't want to think about that dream. I was a different person now.

Someone had started a fire while I was asleep, and I made my way over there. About half of our group was awake and trying to stay warm. I sat down in between Newt and Frypan.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I miss the Glade." Frypan sighed. He was right. Joking around by the bonfire with Newt and Minho, eating some of Frypan's food, even running in the Maze. I would give anything to have that back. At least in the Glade, things were mostly certain. Out here in the Scorch, we were completely out of our element.

I saw something flicker in the distance, and I turned to see lights, far away, but still there.

"Do you guys see that?" I asked, standing up and peering into the darkness.

"See what?" Fry asked. I wondered if enhanced sight was part of the Alterations.

"She's right." Thomas said. "There, those lights." We woke up everyone that was asleep. At this point, the lights had gotten brighter, and everyone could see them.

"What's going on?" Aris asked groggily as he was shaken awake.

"See that?" Thomas said pointing into the distance. "It's lights. We made it." As if on cue, thunder rumbled and lightning flashed. If we didn't get to shelter soon, we were all going to be fried.

"Let's go!" Minho shouted, and we all broke into a run as the storm worsened. Lighting hit the ground all around us as we desperately tried to avoid it.

Then, a huge bolt streaked out of the sky, flashing brighter than the others. And it was headed right towards us. Or, more specifically, right towards Minho.

"Watch out!" I shouted, and I shoved him out of the way just as the lightning hit. It felt like I was on fire, and the world had gone completely bright. I struggled to stay conscious, but the pain got the better of me, and the world faded.

_Newt's POV_

It was almost as if it was in slow motion.

Haylee fell to the ground as the lightning hit her. For one moment, her terrified features were completely illuminated before she lost consciousness and the lighting dissipated.

"No!" I shouted, turning back to run over to her. She was breathing, but barely.

"Come on!" Thomas yelled. "Get her inside." With the help of Minho, I lifted her up, and we continued to run towards the large building that loomed ahead of us.

Once we were inside, Teresa slammed the door shut behind us. It was dark, and we couldn't see a thing.

"Who's got a light?" Minho asked. Aris handed him one, and he shined it on Haylee. Her skin was deathly pale, and her breathing was shallow and ragged.

"Come on, Haylee." I whispered. "Come on, come on, come on."

But she remained unmoving.

No, she could't be dead. Not my Haylee. She had survived too much to be killed by a bloody lightning storm.

Suddenly, her eyes opened and she gasped, sitting up straight. I sighed in relief. She was still alive, thank god.

"You okay?" Thomas asked, which was a pretty stupid question, considering that she had just been struck by lighting. But, she did actually look pretty good. Maybe fast healing was part of the whole "Alterations" things.

"What happened?" She groaned, trying to stand up.

"You were struck by lightning." Teresa explained.

"Oh." Was all she said. The others laughed a little at her reaction.

"I thought I lost you." I whispered, staring into her hazel eyes.

"You can't get rid of me that easily." She joked. "Seriously, I'm fine." She pushed herself off of the ground, standing up and looking at our surroundings.

"Hey, what's that smell?" Aris asked, sniffing the air in front of him. All of a sudden, a Crank popped out of the shadows, lunging right towards Aris. He backed away quickly as screeches filled the air. Minho held up the light to reveal what was actually going on.

We were in a room full of chained-up Cranks.

Who would do something so bloody awful? Tie people up while they slowly go insane and die?

"I see you met our guard dogs." Said a voice. We turned to see a girl who looked around our age standing in a doorway. "You guys look like shit. Come on, follow me." We all stayed put. "Unless you want to stay here with them."

The girl started to walk back through the doorway, and we had no choice but to follow her through the giant building.

"Come on, keep up." She said in an exasperated tone. "Jorge wants to meet you."

"Who's Jorge?" Thomas asked.

"You'll see." She replied. "No one's come to the Scorch in a long time. You just got him curious. And me too."

"Anyone else starting to get a bad feeling about this place?" Minho said, staring suspiciously at passing people.

"Let's just hear him out, see what he has to say." Thomas said. That didn't really sound like the best plan but, then again, when were any of our plans good?

"Jorge, they are here." The girl said once we stopped in a room. There was a man, who I assumed was Jorge, looking out the window into the dark night.

"Thank you, Brenda." Jorge said, turning around to face us. "Do you ever get the feeling the whole world is against you?" _Every bloody day_ , I thought.

"I have three questions." Jorge continued. "Where did you come from? Where are you going? How can I profit." No one said anything. "Well don't answer all at once."

"We're heading for the mountains." Thomas explained. "We're looking for the Right Arm."

"You're looking for ghosts, you mean." Jorge said. Haylee and I exchanged an alarmed glance. Was the Right Arm just a myth? "Question number two: Where did you come from?"

"That's our business." I answered. I didn't trust this guy at all. He could be with WICKED.

Jorge motioned towards Brenda and a few of his men. The two men pulled Thomas away, and Brenda approached him with some sort of device, which she placed on the back of his neck.

"Get the hell off of me!" Thomas shouted.

"Shut up, you big baby." Brenda said, reading something from her device. "You were right."

"Right about what?" Thomas asked, trying to see what was on the scanner device. "What's she talking about?"

"I'm sorry hermano." Jorge said. "Looks like you're tagged. You came from WICKED. Which means.... you're very valuable."

...

_Haylee's POV_

Long story short, we ended up hanging by our ankles from the ceiling.

So, that didn't really end well.

"Great plan, Thomas." Minho said sarcastically. "'Just hear what the man has to say.' Really working out for us."

"Oh shut up Minho." Thomas retorted. "Maybe I can reach the ropes..." He tried to reach his ankles, bu failed miserably. I, on the other hand, was able to get ahold of the ropes, but that didn't do much good, because if I untied them, I would fall and most likely die.

"Enjoying the view?" Said a voice. Jorge stood by a large lever, his arms folded across his chest.

"What the hell do you want?" Thomas asked.

"That is the question." Jorge replied." My men want to sell you back to WICKED. Life has taught them to think small. I'm not like that. And something tells me you aren't either."

"Is the blood rushing to my head, or is this shank not making any sense?" Minho said. He was right. Jorge's manner of speaking was very confusing.

"Tell me what you know about the Right Arm."

"I thought you said they were ghosts." I commented.

"I happen to believe in ghosts." Jorge said with a pointed glance at me. "Especially when I hear them chattering among the air waves. You tell me what you know and maybe we can make a deal."

"Look, we don't know much..." Thomas said. In response, Jorge pulled the lever, causing us to drop a few feet.

"Whoa, whoa, okay!" Thomas shouted. "They're hiding in the mountains. And they attacked WICKED and got a bunch of kids. That's it, that's all we know, I swear."

As Jorge contemplated this, one of his men walked into the room.

"Jorge, what's going on?" The man asked, glancing at us.

"Me and my new friends, we're just getting acquainted." Jorge explained. "We're done now."

"Hey, what!" Thomas said. "You're not going to help us?"

"Don't worry, hermano." Jorge said. "We will get you back to where you belong. Hang tight." Jorge winked and then walked out of the room. The man glanced at us suspiciously, and then followed him.

"We have to get out of here." Minho said.

"You think?" I replied.

"I think I have an idea." Thomas said. "Minho, push Teresa towards the lever. If she grabs it, she can lower us down." Minho and Teresa nodded and then they got in position.

"Okay." Minho said. "1, 2, 3." He shoved Teresa as hard as he could, but her fingers missed the lever by inches. She swung back, nearly hitting Thomas and then swaying in place.

"Come one Minho, try harder." Newt said.

"Okay, okay!" Minho said. "Alright, 1, 2, 3!" He pushed Teresa back towards the lever, and, this time, she managed to grab onto it. She pulled it, causing us all to drop a few feet, but she hauled herself onto the ledge and untied herself.

It was a process, but, eventually, we were all standing on the ground again. As soon as we were about to go, a familiar voice blared throughout the building.

"This is the World in Catastrophe Killzone Experiment Department!" Janson. Shit. WICKED was here. "You find yourselves, with no fault of your own, in possession of WICKED property. Return them to us unharmed and we'll consider this a simple misunderstanding. Or you can resist, and every last one of you will die. It won't be long before the Flare washes out the rest of us. The hope for a cure lies in your hands. The choice is yours."

"Let's get out of here." I said.

"Not so fast." Said another voice. It was the same man from before, only this time he was holding a gun and a walkie-talkie.

"We're not trying to cause any trouble, okay." Thomas said as the man aimed the gun at us. "We just have to get out of here."

"Janson, I got them for you." The man said, speaking into his walkie-talkie and completely ignoring Thomas. "I'm bringing them down." He readied his gun, pointing it straight at us.

"Don't shoot!" Thomas shouted. A gunshot rang out, and we all checked for injuries. But the gunshot hadn't come from the man. Instead, he fell over, revealing Brenda, who had just shot him.

"Come on, let's go!" She said. "I said, let's go!" We followed her through the building until we reached a smashed window. Jorge was already there, looking extremely impatient.

"Brenda!" Jorge exclaimed when we arrived.

"Hurry, we don't have much time." Brenda said. "Jorge nodded and pulled something down. It was a harness of sorts. I looked through the window opening to see that there was a zip line.

Oh shuck no.

"You have got to be kidding me." Minho said, voicing my thoughts.

"You kids want to get to the Right Arm, I'll lead you to 'em." Jorge said. "But you have to owe me. Now follow me!" Jorge held onto the harness and went down the zip line, looking like he was having the time of his life.

"Alright, let's go!" Brenda said, snapping me out of my thoughts. She pulled down another harness, and Minho stepped forward. He followed Jorge down the zip line, followed by Frypan, and then Aris.

Next up was Newt, but as he prepared himself to go, he looked terrified.

Shit. Heights.

"You can do this." I whispered. "Just don't look down." He nodded, squeezed his eyes shut, and went down the zip line

"Your turn." Brenda said, handing me the harness. I grabbed it, took a deep breath, and jumped. I felt a rush of wind as I went down the zip line, and jumped off at the end. Teresa came a few second later.

"Where's Thomas?" I asked. "And Brenda?"

"I- I don't know." Teresa said, glancing back. "They were right behind me."

"WICKED must have found them." Jorge said. "Don't worry, Brenda knows what she's doing." As if on cue, the building blew up.

"I sure hope she does." Minho muttered.

"We'll just have to meet them at our destination." Jorge said. "Your friend will be fine, he's in good hands. As for us, we need to get to the tunnels. Follow me."

Jorge walked down some stairs, into the darkness below. I only hesitated a moment before following him, right into the depths of the Scorch.


	8. Even After the Worst Storms, the Sun Will Always Shine Again

"We can stop here!" Jorge called out from the front of the group. We had been walking through the tunnels for hours now. Thankfully, we hadn't run into any Cranks, but that luck would not last.

We caught up with Jorge to see an old, abandoned bunker.

"Here?" Minho asked skeptically. Jorge nodded and pushed the door open.

As soon as we stepped inside, we heard the screeching of Cranks. Yeah, that luck definitely didn't last. I flicked on a light to see at least 10 of them, just standing in the middle of the oh-so-safe bunker.

"I thought you said we would be safe here!" Newt exclaimed.

"I thought it was secure." Jorge retorted. The Cranks were slowly walking towards us.

Then something odd happened. I felt a cold sensation, and all of a sudden, I wasn't in control of my own actions. I unwillingly took a step forward, right towards the Cranks.

What was happening to me?

I tried to fight it as I kept calmly walking towards them. But whatever was going on was too strong, and as I tried to stop it, I completely lost consciousness.

...

"Did you see what she did?! Look, I don't blame her, but she's not in control of the Alterations."

It took me a moment to take in my surroundings. We were still in the bunker, but the Cranks were gone. I was lying on an old, dirty, deflated mattress. All of my friends were sitting a few feet away and arguing about something.

"Exactly, she can't control it!" Said a familiar accented voice. "Besides, what do you want to do about it, Teresa?" Teresa. That's who had been speaking when I woke up.

"I don't know." Teresa said. "But you saw those bodies too."

Bodies?

"Those Cranks would have killed you anyways, hermana." Jorge said. "She did save our lives, even if she brutally murdered them. I, personally, think she did nothing wrong."

A chill ran through me as I realized what was going on.

The Alterations somehow took over. I murdered those Cranks. And now my friends were arguing about me.

What have I done?

"Maybe Teresa's right." Aris whispered. "What if she loses control and attacks us?"

"I can't believe you guys are even thinking like this." Minho said. "We're supposed to be her friends, and we're arguing about what to do with her. Do you think she wanted this?"

"Of course not." Teresa said. "It's just-"

"She's right." I said. They all turned my way, and it looked almost comical. "I'm dangerous, I could hurt you guys." Without bothering to see their reactions, I stood up and walked down one of the bunker's long hallways, stopping in a large room.

I buried my face in my hands. I just wanted to go back to the Glade, where we were safe, where we were at least semi-happy. Here in the Scorch, there was no safety, no certainty, no hope.

"Haylee?" Said a soft voice. I looked up to see Newt, looking more worried than I had ever seen him. Wordlessly, he sat down and put his arm around me, pulling me in close.

"What did I do?" I whispered. "I remember walking in and seeing the Cranks and then.... I lost control."

"You killed the Cranks." Newt began. "But slowly. Bloodily. As if you were enjoying it. We tried to stop you, but you were just too strong." No, no, no. What kind of monster was I?

"Then you shouldn't be here, Newt!" I exclaimed, pulling away from him abruptly. "I could hurt you, I could-"

"Hey, it's okay." Newt said.

"No, it's not." I replied. "It's not safe for you guys to be near me, it could take over again, and I can't stop it!"

"I don't give a damn about my safety." Newt said, his tone dead serious. "All I care about is you. You are so strong, I know you can fight this. And if you can't, I'll still be here for you, every step of the way. Because I love you more than anything."

What did I do to deserve Newt? Not all angels have wings, and Newt was one of them.

Newt stood up and held out his hand to me, and at first, I was unsure of what he was doing.

"May I have this dance?" He asked, his hand still outstretched. I smiled and took his hand, letting him pull me up from my seat. I leaned into his embrace, holding his hand in mine.

And then, the lyrics of the perfect song for this moment came to me.

_Wise men say_

We started to sway to the music, forgetting about all of the problems we were facing.

_Only fools rush in  
But I can't help falling in love with you_

_Shall I stay  
Would it be a sin  
If I can't help falling in love with you_

_Like a river flows surely to the sea  
Darling so it goes  
Some things are meant to be_

_So take my hand, take my whole life too  
For I can't help falling in love with you_

The song ended, and we gazed into each others eyes. What I just sang was true. It was impossible to not love him.

I closed the gap between us with a kiss. Our arms wrapped around each other, and in this moment, there was no WICKED, no Cranks, no Flare, no Alterations. Just us.

And then the kiss turned into something more. Something deep and passionate.

Let's just say neither of us got much sleep that night.


	9. The Crank Party

We arrived at Marcus's place the next morning. No one talked about what happened last night, which I appreciated greatly.

"Alright, split up." Jorge said as he pulled back the curtain that acted as the door. "Try to find Thomas and Brenda. I'll get Marcus. Meet me in the room upstairs." We nodded and walked in.

Inside was a full-blown party. It was dark, even though there were lights flashing everywhere. The dance floor was a crowd of people, probably all Cranks enjoying their last bits of sanity.

"Hello." A drunk voice slurred. I turned around to see a man, clearly a Crank, standing with an empty beer bottle in his hand. The veins on his neck told me that he was nearly past the Gone.

"Get the shuck away from me." I said, backing up.

"Aw, come on." The man said, advancing. "I'll be completely crazy soon. I want to go out with a bang." As soon as he stepped in range, I kneed him in the balls.

"Yeah, I don't think so." I retorted as he groaned in pain.

I walked through the party cautiously. Most of the people in here were crazy and drunk, which was not a good combination. I didn't see Thomas or Brenda, but I saw Newt standing by the bar. I walked over to him, just glad to see a familiar face in this chaos.

"Hey." I said.

"Huh?" He replied, turning around. His eyes were glazed over, and he had a blank expression on his face.

"Oh Newt, what did you drink?" I sighed.

"I didn't drink anything!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. I stared at him skeptically. "Okay okay, maybe I had a little bit to drink. But I'm fine!"

"You're not fine, let's go."

"Look, you seem like a very nice person, but I have a girlfriend." Newt said. "Her name is Haylee and she's amazing. She's so pretty.... and smart.... and last night we-"

"Okay, Newt!" I interrupted, not wanting him to go into detail about last night. "Look, I don't know what you had to drink, but can't you tell that it's me?" He peered at me, looking very confused, and then his eyes widened in recognition.

"Oh!" He shouted. "Hello love. I didn't see you there. There was this other girl , who kind of looked like you, and she tried to be with me but I told her that I was with you."

I just laughed. Drunk Newt was hilarious.

"Hey guys, we found them." Minho said, sliding onto one of the bar seats. "Um, what happened to him?"

"He drank something." I explained. "I don't know what, but he's very.... energized."

"Well, the others are waiting for us upstairs." Minho said. I nodded, and we followed him up a very long staircase to the second level of the building, which was completely empty.

"Newt, you need to go lie down." I said once we reached the top of the stairs.

"I'm fine, love." Newt said, waving his hand in the air. However, as soon as he said that, he collapsed to the floor and started snoring.

"Well that was..." Minho trailed off. "An odd experience."

...

A couple hours later, Newt was fine. He only had a few sips, but whatever it was had made him a little... crazy.

Thomas was completely passed out, and Brenda was glaring at both him and Teresa. I don't know what happened to them two of them, but it didn't seem good.

Meanwhile, Jorge had the mysterious Marcus tied to a chair and was currently beating him up, as Marcus refused to divulge any information.

"I suggest you talk, you son of a bitch!" Jorge yelled as he punched Marcus again.

"I'm sorry, you're going to have to leave my house." Marcus sighed, looking up at Jorge with distaste.

I heard footsteps approaching behind me, and I turned to see Thomas, who was rubbing a sore spot on his head. He looked exhausted from the events of earlier, but I couldn't blame him.

"Looks like you've been having fun." I muttered.

"Listen, I don't enjoy hurting you." Jorge said to Marcus, which was a blatant lie. "I just need to know where the Right Arm is. Where are they, Marcus?"

"Wait, this is Marcus?" Thomas asked, looking extremely confused.

"That kid catches on quick." Marcus said. "Are you the brains of the operation?"

"I know that you know here they're hiding." Jorge said, getting Marcus's attention again. "So you tell me, and I'll make you a deal. You can come with us and get out of this place."

"I burned that bridge a long time ago." Marcus scoffed. "Besides, I make my own deal. You're the one who always told me to never miss an opportunity, and I never did."

"What the bloody hell is he talking about?" Newt asked.

"I'm talking about supply and demand." Marcus explained. "WICKED wants all the immunes they can get. I help provide that for them. So I lure the kids in, they get drunk, they have a good time, and then later, WICKED comes in. They separate the wheat from the chaff."

Now I really wanted to punch this guy.

"I changed my mind, hermano." Jorge said, placing his hand on Marcus's shoulder. "I do enjoy hurting you." With that, Jorge flipped the chair that Marcus was tied to, and Marcus landed on the ground, groaning. Jorge then pulled out his gun and pressed it to Marcus's temple.

"Talk or I shoot!"

"Okay, okay!" Marcus shouted, and Jorge pulled the gun back. "But I'm not making any promises. These guys like to move around. They have an outpost in the mountains, but it's a long way away. You guys have half of WICKED on your ass, you're never going to make it."

"Not on foot." Jorge said, smirking. "Where's Bertha?" Marcus stared up at Jorge in horror, as if that was the worst thing he could have asked.

"Not Bertha."


	10. The Right Arm

Bertha turned out to be an old car that belonged to Marcus. 

“Alright, we’re gonna have to squish in.” Jorge said. He took the driver’s seat, and Newt sat up front with him. The rest of us were stuck in the back.

We drove for a few hours until we reached the mountains. There was some sort of blockade made with cars, and we all got out to inspect it.

“Well, I guess we’re on foot.” Jorge sighed. He was right. There was no way we would get Bertha through all of that.

I looked at one of the cars. It was old, with chipped blue paint. But what caught my attention was the bullet hole in one of the windows. Whoever was here had been shot at.

As if on cue, gunshots came from the higher ground.

“Get down!” I shouted. “Take cover!” I scrambled to get behind one of the cars, where Newt and Minho already were. The shots stopped, but whoever had fired them was certainly still there. 

“Is everyone okay out there?” Thomas asked.

“We’re fine.” Teresa replied breathlessly.

“Does anyone know where those bloody shots came from?” Newt said. 

“It’s Marcus.” Jorge growled. “He led us into a trap. Here, Thomas, hold this.” I peeked around the car to see Jorge handing Thomas a bomb. Yeah, Thomas with a bomb, that was going to end well.

“Everybody, get ready to sprint back to the truck!” Thomas shouted. “And hold your ears.” Thomas gripped the bomb, ready to throw, when I heard the clicking of a gun.

Two girls stood in front of us withs scarves covering their faces. One had long dreadlocks, and the other one had white-blond hair. Both were holding guns.

“On your feet, let’s go!” Said the one with the dreadlocks. “You three, over here, now! Let’s go!”

“Do what she says.” The blond one added. We backed away with our hands in the air. They turned their gaze towards Frypan, Aris, and Teresa. The girl with the dreadlocks’s eyes widened. 

“Aris?” She gasped, pulling down her scarf.

“Oh my god, Harriet!” Aris exclaimed, running forward to hug her. “What the hell are you guys doing here?” He turned to the blond girl and hugged her too. “Sonya!”

“Aris, you’re lucky we didn’t shoot your dumb ass.” The blond girl, Sonya, said. 

“Uh, what’s happening?” Minho asked, voicing all of our thoughts. 

“We were in the Maze together.” Aris explained, smiling.

“We’re clear, guys!” Harriet shouted, probably to whoever had shot at us a few minutes ago. People came crawling out of crevices in the mountains and started moving the car blockade. 

“Let’s take these guys to the base.” Harriet said to a man sitting in the driver’s seat of a truck. 

“Wait, do you guys know where the Right Arm is?” Thomas asked. Harriet just grinned, and opened the door of the truck.

“Hop in.” 

…

Harriet and Sonya took us up the mountain, right to the Right Arm camp. After everything we went through, we finally made it to our destination.

“They’ve been planning this for over a year now.” Sonya explained was we walked through the camp. “This is all for us. You’re lucky that you found us when you did. We’re moving out at first light.” 

“Where’s Vince?” Harriet said to one of the Right Arm soldiers.

“Somewhere over there, I think.” He replied, gesturing to one of the larger tents. 

“Who’s Vince?” I asked as we made our way over to what seemed to be the main area.

“He’s the one who decides if you get to stay.” Harriet replied. As she said that, a tall man, who I assumed was Vince, walked out from the biggest tent, surveying our group suspiciously.

“I thought the Right Arm was supposed to be an army.” Thomas commented.

“Yeah, we were.” Vince responded. “A lot of good people died getting us this far. Who are they?”

“They’re immunes.” Harriet said. “We caught them coming up the mountain.”

“Well did you check them?” Vince asked, slightly annoyed.

“I know this guy, Aris.” Harriet said, pointing at him. “I trust him.”

“Well I don’t.” Vince said. “Check ‘em.” But before any of the Right Arm people could do anything, there was a loud thump as someone behind me collapsed to the ground. I turned to see Brenda, breathing heavily and shaking.

“Brenda!” Jorge exclaimed, rushing to her side. “Brenda, Brenda talk to me. Brenda!” 

“What happened?” I asked, kneeling down on the other side of her. She was struggling to breathe, and she looked really, really sick.

“Brenda, are you alight?” Thomas said. 

“Oh shit!” Vince shouted. “Crank! We got a Crank.” He pulled out a gun and pointed it directly at Brenda. Jorge lunged towards him, but two of the Right Arm soldiers held him back.

“Stop!” Thomas yelled. “Just wait!” 

“Step back.” Vince warned. 

“Just listen!” Thomas said. “Okay, look. It just happened. She’s not dangerous yet.”

“You shouldn’t have brought her here.” Vince growled, not taking his gaze off of Brenda. “If we let Cranks in here now, the Safe Haven won’t last a week.” 

“I understand, okay?” Thomas said. “Just please listen to me. I promised her that you could help.”

“Come on, there has to be something you can do for her.” I added. I didn’t know Brenda that well, but I knew that she didn’t deserve to die.

“Yeah, there is.” Vince replied. “I can put her out of her misery.” 

“Vince, that’s enough!” A female voice shouted. A woman with tangled black hair pushed her way through the crowd, getting to Vince’s side.

“She’s infected, Mary.” Vince said. “There’s nothing you can do for her.” 

“No, but he can.” Mary said, turning her gaze on Thomas. “Hello, Thomas.”

“What?” Thomas asked. “You know me?”

“Interesting.” Mary mused. “Makes sense that they put you in the Maze. Although, I must admit, I was worried they’d kill you after what you did.”

“What did I do?”

“The first time we spoke, you said you couldn’t take it anymore.” Mary explained. “Watching your friends die one by one. The last time we spoke, you gave me the coordinates of every WICKED compound and lab.”

“He was our source.” Vince gasped.

“We couldn’t have pulled any of this off without him.” Mary said. “Take her to the tent, and get these guys some warm clothes. Thomas, come on. I need to get some blood from you.”

…

The Right Arm had given us new clothes, food, and water. We were going to leave for the Safe Haven tomorrow morning. Everything was finally starting to be right.

I was sitting with the remaining Gladers. There were only five of us left. Me, Newt, Thomas, Minho, and Frypan. And Teresa too, I guess, but she had never really been a true Glader. 

“I wish Alby could have seen all this.” Newt said staring out at the sunset.

“And Winston.” Frypan added.

“And Chuck.” Thomas finished. 

“They would be proud of you, Tommy.” Newt said. “All of them.” Thomas smiled a little and looked down at the camp.

“Hey Aris!” Fry shouted. Down at the camp, Aris, who had been talking to Harriet and Sonya, looked up and grinned.

“Hay guys!” He said, waving. 

“I kinda like that kid.” Frypan said. 

“Yeah.” Minho said. “I still don’t trust him, though.” 

“Hey, where’s Teresa?” Thomas asked.

“She went up there.” I replied, pointing to the cliff where Teresa was standing. Thomas glanced that way and started walking towards her, taking the path up the mountain.

“Hey, Haylee, can I talk to you?” Newt asked quietly.

“Sure.” I said, not really sure where this was going. He led me away from the others, towards another rock formation near the edge of the cliff. 

Newt took several deep breaths and ran his hand through his hair. He seemed extremely nervous.

“Hey, what’s going on?” I asked softly. Newt took one final deep breath and then looked into my eyes.

“Haylee.” Newt said. “Ever since you came up in the Box, I knew you were special. I will do anything for you, and I know you would do the same for me. I love you so much, and there’s no one else in the world who’s as perfect as you.” 

Then he pulled something out of his pocket. It was a small band of metal with a beautiful pattern.

A ring. 

“Haylee.” Newt said. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And now that we’re going to this Safe Haven, we can actually do that. I want us to be together until we die. I love you more than anything in the world. Will you marry me?” 

“Yes!” I exclaimed, tears of happiness forming in my eyes. “Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes!” And then we kissed, our arms around each other, happier than we had ever been.

I should have known that it wouldn’t last. 

A loud noise rang out through the peaceful air, and I pulled away from Newt to see what was happening. In the sky, Bergs and helicopters were flying right towards our camp, right towards our refuge.

WICKED found us.


	11. The WICKED Battle

The first missile hit the side of the cliff, causing the ground I was standing on to shake. The next ones hit the tents, setting everything on fire, which illuminated the night. 

“Come on, we have to go!” I shouted. We ran down the narrow path that led from the cliff to the camp. Screams and shouts filled the air as WICKED soldiers dropped down form the helicopters, shooting everyone in sight with their Launchers. 

“Where are the others?” Newt asked breathlessly when we reached the bottom. 

“We’re here.” Said a voice. I turned around to see Minho and Frypan crouched behind a stack of barrels. 

“Where’s Thomas?” Newt asked as we raced through the destroyed camp, towards Vince and Harriet.

“I don’t know.” Minho replied. “I’m sure he’s fine, though.” We reached the truck where Vince and Harriet were fending off the WICKED guards.

“Harriet, ammo!” Vince shouted, readying the giant gun on the roof of the truck. “Hey, you know how to use this thing?” He handed his gun to Minho, who nodded and started firing it into the crowd of WICKED’s people.

“Here, take this!” Harriet yelled, sliding a gun towards me. I picked it up, aimed, and fired. I wasn’t going to lie, it felt good to kill those bastards.

But, as hard as we tried, we were simply outnumbered. 

“There’s too many of them!” Newt yelled. We were running out of ammunition, and we were running out of time. 

A device with a blinking blue light sailed through the air, landing right at my feet. Shit. A taser bomb.

“Run!” I shouted, but it was too late. The bomb went off, and all I felt was excruciating pain, like the lightning strike, but lasting longer. There was nothing I could do as the WICKED soldiers dragged me into a line with the others, forcing us to kneel with our arms behind our backs. 

A WICKED guard came by with a scanner, probably to see what our Subject number was.

“A7.” He said, scanning Minho. He then jammed the scanner into the back of my neck and said: “A6.” He continued to go down the line, calling it all out to Janson, who was standing in front of us with a smug expression on his face. 

“Where’s Thomas?” Janson asked. I looked around and realized that Thomas was, indeed, missing. If he was smart, he would run. But knowing Thomas, he was probably-

“Right here.” Said Thomas, standing up from his hiding spot. You idiot. Thomas walked right up to Janson, looking him straight in the eyes.

“Thomas.” Janson sighed. And then he punched Thomas in the stomach. “Get him in line.” The WICKED guards grabbed Thomas and placed him on the end of the line, next to Minho. 

“Why didn’t you run?” Minho asked, glancing at Thomas.

“I’m tired of running.” 

A Berg appeared in the sky, landing in the middle of the ruined camp. The ramp door opened, revealing none other than Ava Paige herself. 

“Is this all of them?” Ava asked Janson, her eyes looking at us.

“Most of them.” Janson replied. “It’ll be enough.”

“Start loading them in.” Ava ordered. 

“You heard her!” Janson shouted. “Let’s go!”

The guards roughly pulled me to my feet and started walking towards the Berg. Once we reached Ava, she motioned for them to pause, and she stepped towards Thomas. 

“Hello, Thomas.” Ava said. She turned slightly, and I followed her gaze to see Teresa being escorted by a guard.

“I’m glad you’re safe.” Ava said, placing her hand on Teresa’s shoulder.

“What the hell?” Frypan asked. “Teresa?”

“Wait, what’s going on?” Newt said. 

“She’s with them.” Thomas replied, glaring at Ava and Teresa. What? After all we had been through she betrayed us for WICKED? When we were so close to freedom?

“Since when?” Minho asked.

“Oh, Teresa has always had an amount of appreciation for the greater good.” Janson said. “Once we restored her memories, it was only a matter of time.”

“I’m sorry.” Teresa sad. “I had no choice. This is the only way. We have to find a cure.” Only way? What the actual shuck?

Time to put these Alterations to use. I pulled myself free of the guard, went forward, towards Teresa, and punched her in the face. The guards pulled me back immediately as Teresa stared at me in shock.

“Ah yes, The Warrior.” Ava said. “Always looking for a fight.”

“You made me this way.” I retorted. “But I am not going to be your weapon.”

“Teresa is right.” Ava said, ignoring me and addressing everyone. “This is all just a means to an end. You used to understand that, Thomas. No matter what you think of me, I’m not a monster. I’m a doctor. I swore an oath to find a cure, no matter the cost. I just need more time.

“More blood.” Said Mary, who was standing with Vince a few feet away. 

“Hello, Mary.” Ava said. “I hoped we would meet again. I’m sorry it had to be under these circumstances.”

“I’m sorry about a lot of things too.” Mary replied. “But not this. At least my conscience is clear.”

“So is mine.”

A gunshot rang out, silencing all the murmurs and chatter. Mary gasped and clutched her stomach, blood staining her clothes and skin. She took one last breath and collapsed to the ground. 

I turned my gaze away and saw Janson, still holding the gun that killed Mary. The gun that he fired.

“Mary!” Vince shouted, dropping to the ground next to her. “NO MARY! Mary! NOOOOOOO!” 

“Come on, Janson.” Ava sighed. “Let’s load them up.” The guards continued their mission, dragging the subjects towards the Berg, including Aris and Sonya. 

Suddenly, Thomas threw his guard to the ground, and held up a bomb and detonator. 

“Get back!” He shouted. “Everyone, stand back! Let them go!” The guard that had been holding me released me, and I ran over to where Thomas and the others were. 

“Thomas, put it down.” Janson said, holding his arm out. 

“Let them all go!”

“You know I can’t do that.” Ava sighed. 

“Thomas, please stop!” Teresa begged. “I made a deal with them, they promised we’d be safe. All of us.” Yeah, like we’re going to believe you.

“And I’m supposed to trust you now?” Thomas retorted. 

“It’s true. It was her only condition.” Ava said. “Everything can go back to the way it was. Thomas, do you really want all of them to die? Please, just think about what you’re doing.”

“We’re with you, Thomas.” Newt piped up. He walked over to stand at Thomas’s side, and the rest of us followed. I would rather die than go with WICKED.

“No, don’t-“ Teresa started to say.

“Do it, Thomas.” I said. “It’s okay.”

“We’re ready.” Minho added. “Do it.” 

“We’re not going back there.” Thomas stated, holding up the detonator. “It’s the only way.” Newt grabbed my hand, and I held onto his. If we’re going to die, at least we were together. 

All of a sudden, a horn blared. A giant truck came rushing through the camp, driven by Jorge, who was shouting with glee. He crashed into one of the fallen helicopters, sending debris flying everywhere. WICKED, Right Arm, and Subjects alike all ran in different directions to avoid the flying pieces of metal and wood. 

“Haylee!” Someone shouted. It was Harriet. She tossed me a gun, and I gripped it tightly, determined to make sure my friends made it out of this alive. 

Ava Paige went back to the Berg with Teresa and her guards, but I could deal with that later. And I definitely would. 

“Hey!” Shouted a voice that I knew all too well. “Help!” 

I sprinted towards the sound of Newt’s voice, prepared to kill whoever was hurting him. I ran into a small clearing and saw him being dragged by two of the WICKED guards. They stopped at the sight of me.

“Don’t. You. Dare.” I said. I readied my gun and shot the first guard, but by the time I reached the second guard, he was prepared, holding a handgun to Newt’s head.

“Drop it.” He growled. “Drop it or I’ll shoot him!” But before I coil do anything, Newt kicked the guard in his private parts, grabbed the gun, and shot him. 

“Are you okay?” I asked. 

“I’m fine.” He replied. “Let’s go!” We kept running until we reached out friends. Out of all of us, Minho and I were the only ones who had guns with ammunition left. 

“Go!” Minho shouted to the others. “Get out of here!”

“Wait, we can’t leave you!” Thomas yelled back.

“We’ll be fine!” I said. To demonstrate my point, I shot two advancing guards. “Run, you idiots!”

Suddenly, Minho cried out in pain and dropped to the ground, having been shot with a Launcher. The WICKED soldiers grabbed him took him to the Berg.

“Minho!” I screamed, running after him.

“Haylee, don’t!” Someone yelled, but I ignored them, shooting the guards that got in my way and continuing to sprint towards Minho. 

Then, I felt something hit the back of my head, and I collapsed to the floor, the world suddenly becoming very blurry. I felt strong arms grab me, and pull me towards the WICKED Berg, and there was nothing I could do to stop them.

I could hear my friends shouting my name, and Minho’s. I silently willed them to stay put, it wouldn’t do any good if they were captured as well. Hopefully, Minho got away too.

The last thing I saw before losing consciousness was Newt’s eyes, full of regret and sadness as we were pulled further apart.


	12. Captured

_“I hate them, I hate them, I hate them!” The boy exclaimed as he paced. “Every single bloody one of them!”_

_“I know, Newt.” Said the girl, who was sitting against the wall. “But saying it over and over again won’t do anything.”_

_“I know.” He said with a long sigh. “It’s just... I hate that I can’t stop them from hurting you. I couldn’t protect you."_

_“You don’t need to protect me.” She replied, standing up and putting her hand on his shoulder. “You need to stop worrying about everyone else and start taking care of yourself.”_

_She held the boy in her arms, and he leaned on her, gladly taking the support. The two of them had been through so much, but maybe they could get through it together._

When I woke up, I was nearly blinded by the brightness of the white room. There was no furniture, just a door and a long mirror, which I assumed was a one-way mirror. There were chains on my arms and legs, preventing me from moving.

After a few minutes, the door swung open. Janson and Ava Paige walked in, flanked by their masked guards. 

“Haylee, Subject A6, The Warrior.” Janson said, reading from a piece of paper. “Thank you for being here.” I wanted to punch him so badly, but the chains held me down.

“Is Newt alright?” Was all I said. That was the only thing that mattered to me right now.

Janson started to say something, but Ava cut him off. “We can neither confirm nor deny the status of Subject A5.” She said. Janson raised his eyebrows, but he said nothing. 

“Tell us what you know about the Right Arm.” Janson said. “Starting with: Where are they going?” 

“Even if I knew, you seriously think I would tell you?” I replied. 

“I was afraid you would say that.” Ava sighed. She motioned to the four guards behind her, and they moved towards me. I tried to resist, but I wasn’t exactly in a position to do that. 

One of the guards stuck something in my side, and I screamed in pain as electrical energy flowed throughout my body. 

“Let’s try this again.” Janson said. “Where. Is. The Right Arm?” 

“I don’t know!” I shouted, still shaking from the electric shocks. “I don’t know, and I wouldn’t tell you if I did-“ I screamed as the guard shocked me again, leaving it on for longer than the first time.

“Put her in the simulation.” Ava ordered. “She won’t give in to physical pain.” Janson nodded and held out a syringe. One of the guards grabbed it and, while the other three held me down, he stuck it into the side of my neck.

And the world shifted into a very familiar place. 

It was the Glade, or, more specifically, the Doors which led to the Maze. The Glade itself was deserted, which was odd, as I had never seen it empty before. 

I ran into the Maze, hoping to find some answers there. Every twist and turn was familiar to me, despite the fact that it had been a long time since I was here. 

A bloodcurdling scream ripped through the air, and I skidded to a stop. Because the scream had belonged to Newt. 

Another scream penetrated the silence. This time it was closer. 

“Newt!” I shouted. There was no response. I ran in the general direction of the screams, hoping that I could save him from whatever was there. 

I entered one of the Maze’s clearings and saw Newt lying on the ground, covered in blood. I gasped and sprinted over to him as he struggled for breath.

“Newt.” I gasped. “No, no, no, just stay with me, please.”

“This... is your.... fault.” Newt said, coughing up blood. “All.... your....fault.” And then the breathing stopped, and he lay there, still as a statue.

“No!” I sobbed. “Newt... oh Newt I’m so sorry. Come back to me, Newt. Please, Newt, please.” 

“This could have all been avoided if it wasn’t for you.” Said a voice. I turned around, but there was no one there. “He’s dead because of you.”

“It’s all my fault.” I whispered, as if I was in a trance. 

“Yes.” The voice said cruelly. 

“It’s all my fault.” I said again, tears forming in my eyes.

“Haylee!” Said another far-off voice. “Wake up! Please wake up!”

The Maze disappeared, replaced by a cold, dark room. 

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I backed away, scrambling to try and find some kind of weapon.

“Whoa, calm down, it’s me!” 

Minho.

WICKED got him too. 

“Minho.” I sighed in relief as he pulled me into a side-hug. That simulation was still fresh in my mind. I knew it wasn’t real, but that didn’t really help. 

“What did they do to you?” He whispered. 

I started to answer, but the image of Newt, bloody and dying, appeared in my mind. I gasped and felt tears forming in my eyes.

“Are you okay?” He asked. 

“No.” I replied, not bothering to lie. Nothing about this would ever, ever be okay.


	13. The Betrayer

The guards came back in the morning. It had been hard to fall asleep on the cold, hard floor. 

“Subject A6.” Said one of the guards gruffly. “Come with us now.” 

“She’s not going anywhere with you.” Minho said, but neither of us were in any position to fight back. I sighed and slowly stood up, my chains rattling as I walked over to the two masked guards. 

“Don’t die!” Minho called out.

“Great, we’re all bloody inspired.” I said, doing my best imitation of Newt’s accent. Minho laughed. 

The guards led me down a series of hallways. I didn’t even bother to notice where we were going.

I was shoved into a room, and I tripped over the chains on my feet, falling onto the floor. 

“Ow.” I muttered, standing back up. And the sight that greeted me made me want to throw up and kill someone at the same time.

Teresa. 

“ _You_.” I growled. She was sitting on one side of a table, with her hands folded neatly. How could she just sit there, looking perfectly satisfied, after what she did?

“Hello, Haylee.” Teresa said. 

“What do you want?” I asked, dragging myself into the chair across from her. “Wasn’t betraying us enough for you?” 

“You don’t understand.” She said. “I had to. We need to find a cure, otherwise the whole world is going to die.” 

“How will any of this help you find the cure?!” I exclaimed. “The Maze, the experiments… why?”

“All of the Variables trigger thing in our blood.” Teresa explained. “We are the key to the cure.” 

“I know finding the cure is important, but that doesn’t change all of the awful things that WICKED is doing.” I replied. 

“Look, I’m sorry.” Teresa said. “I’m sorry that I tricked you all, I’m sorry that I called WICKED, and…… I’m sorry about this.”

“Sorry about what-“ I started to say before I felt a needle pierce my neck. “Teresa-“

“I’m so sorry.” She whispered. Her image became blurrier and blurrier before it was replaced, once again, by the Maze.

It was just like the vision form the previous day. Only this time, it was a memory. A memory that I saw almost every night. A memory that haunted me. 

Newt’s fall. 

“Newt, no!” I shouted. “Please, don’t do it!”  
“I have to!” He yelled back. He had climbed halfway up one of the Maze walls, and he was prepared to jump. The fall would seriously injure or maybe even kill him.

And that’s what he wanted it to do.

“Look, I know things seem bad now, but killing yourself is not the answer!” I reasoned. “We can get through this, okay. We can get through this together, you just need to climb down!”

His eyes met mine. I know this is the part where he jumps, but it’s like I am a prisoner in my own body, not in control of my actions.

“Okay.” Newt said. “Okay.”

Suddenly, he jumped off the wall and landed on the ground with a sickening thud. 

“NEWT!” I screamed, running over to him. I knelt at his side. He was bleeding from several gashes, and his leg was twisted at an awkward angle. 

But he was alive. 

“Let me die.” He groaned. “Leave me here!”

“No.” I insisted. “No, no, no.” 

I glanced around. There wasn’t much time before the Doors closed. I had to get Newt out of here. 

Struggling, I picked him up and ran as fast as I could towards the exit. But Newt was heavier than I was, and I had been running all day. 

Eventually, I crashed to the ground, and Newt gave a cry of pain as he dropped to the floor. We weren’t going to make it. 

“Come on, Newt.” I said. “Come on, come on!” But Newt was in no condition right now, and it wasn’t as if I could leave him.

“Minho! Alby!” I yelled. “Somebody please help!” 

This is supposed to be where Alby came running into the corridor. But there was no sound of pounding footsteps.

“Wh-what?” I whispered. 

“Go.” Newt muttered. “Leave me here. Please, Haylee, Please.” 

“No.” I insisted. “Never.” Help wasn’t coming. I had to do this on my own.

I slung his arm over my shoulder and went as fast as I could through the awful Maze. The sky was already darkening. The doors would close soon. 

“Come on, Newt.” I whispered. “Just a little bit more.”

“I’m sorry Haylee.” Newt whispered. He let out one last breath and closed his eyes, his body going limp in my arms.

“Newt?” I whispered. No response. “Newt! No no no, please stay alive. Newt, please!” 

“Alright, that’s enough.” Said a muffled voice in the background. The world spun again, and I was back in the chair, still sitting across from Teresa.

“What the shuck did you just do to me?” I asked.

“We… we took your worst memory and altered it to make it even more awful.” Teresa explained. “I- I had no idea, I’m sorry-“

“Sorry?!” I exploded. “The only reason that even happened was because of people like you. How dare you act like you’ve done nothing wrong. You just sit there and observe our pain because you think it will help you find a cure. It makes me sick. And when I get out of here, Teresa, I will kill you and the rest of your WICKED friends.” 

I let the guards take me away. Teresa looked pretty shaken up from my outburst, and I smirked. I was not going down without a fight.


	14. Chapter 14

_Newt’s POV/ ___

__It’s been a week since I last saw Haylee. A week since they dragged her away, taking her to their awful experiments._ _

__I swore I would get her back. But the rescue planning was slow and agonizing. With Thomas proposing all of these stupid ideas, and Vince saying no to everything, it seemed like we would never make an actual plan._ _

__“I’m sorry, my love.” I whispered._ _

__I sat down on a large crate and looked out into the night. All of my memories with Haylee, the good and the bad, flashed through my head. I missed her so much._ _

__“I will save you, Haylee.” I said. “I swear I will.”_ _

__And I looked up into the sky, knowing that, somewhere else, somewhere far away, Haylee was doing the same._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for actually reading this! I really appreciate all of your views, kudos, and comments.
> 
> The songs used in this book were "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz and "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley. 
> 
> The last book in this series is called Wicked Death. If you liked this, please check out my other Maze Runner fanfiction, which is called The Memories of You.
> 
> Remember, WICKED is not good.


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